The body of Caden McWilliams, 7, was found Dec. 23 encased in concrete and hidden in a dog crate inside a self-storage unit on East Evans Avenue in Southeast Denver.

McWilliams was severely emaciated when he died and had traces of meth and cocaine in his liver, according to an autopsy report released by the Denver medical examiner. McWilliams weighed about 27 pounds at the time of his death and had a skull fracture and a broken right arm, the autopsy report said.

McWilliams likely died in July after his parents forced him to sleep in a blanket-covered dog crate and ignored his cries that he was thirsty and hot, according to a Denver Police Department affidavit.

The coroner could not determine the exact cause of death but ruled that it was a homicide.

The boy’s father, Leland Pankey, faces charges of first-degree murder, child abuse leading to death and tampering with a deceased body. Because of those pending charges, Tyler said she could not comment further on Elisha Pankey’s guilty plea.

Caden was a student at Ellis Elementary School in Denver, where teachers said he was a model student. He last attended classes on May 24, 2018, and his parents unenrolled him in August 2018, saying he would be home schooled.

Police began looking for the boy in December after Aurora officers were called to investigate a domestic violence allegation involving the Pankeys. When an officer asked where their children were, Leland Pankey said the daughter, who was younger, was at school, but he refused to answer questions about Caden.

Aurora police found a card for the storage unit and called Denver police, who obtained a search warrant for it. That’s where they found Caden’s remains along with empty bags of cement mix and plastic water bottles.

Denver Sheriff Patrick Firman's resignation this week culminated years of mistrust from deputies and community activists, who said that was the price of filling the position with a man who was never the right person for the job.